GoFormative in the Classroom!

Last week in Janelle Hurkett's room, I observed her student's using GoFormative for an assessment.  Each student was working their way through the assessment at their own pace. After completion, Mrs. Hurkett could decide to use the formative results instantly with the class, or look at it later. GoFormative scores multiple choice and short answer for you so can be a great time saver. Wanna check out GoFormative, come see it in action with Mrs. Hurkett, Mrs. Henricksen, or Mr. Koenen at Excelsior.

Oakridge Library

I had the opportunity to go meet Sue Kraus and visit the Oak Ridge library.  I loved to see that they are doing many of the same things we do here at Excelsior!  Thanks Sue for letting me come visit!

Mrs. Glew using Yournextread.com!

Mrs. Glew brought in her iExcel class to try out the website yournextread.com. It was fun to see kids try the mapping page and jot down titles they may be interested in.  Several found books we didn't have and filled out a recommendation form!

The Dash & Dot

Come to the library and check out the new Dash and Dot robot we checked out from GWAEA this month!

Teamwork, Giving, 7th Graders, Baby Blankets????

How do you make it a warm holiday for newborns in the Cedar Rapids area when they need to spend some extra time in the hospital?  Of course, a warm fleece tie blanket made by 7th graders at Excelsior!  Teamwork at its' finest, the floors of the 7th Grade hallway at Excelsior were covered with fleece, scissors, and students who have all come together in their OCM classes to make blankets for newborns in our local hospitals.  It is hard enough to be a new parent, but having to spend extra time in the hospital with your new little one is stressful and exhausting.  The students and teachers have found a way to ease this with the blankets.  Students donated all the materials and have spent the last 2 weeks assembling the blankets.  This is the 3rd year for Excelsior donating blankets for the holidays and with this teamwork, I imagine many more!  Great Job!

        

Busy in the Media Center or should I say Indus Valley?

With all the activity in the Media Center it is hard to keep track of everything, but tracking down students in the Indus Valley became almost impossible in Alex Hajek's 7th Grade Social Studies class. Student's set off on their journey through the Indus Valley creating games, Prezis, Google Presentations, and video using the green screen.  From songs and interviews, to debates and newscasts, the Indus Valley and its' history were thoroughly covered by the students.  Below is a picture in which the students shared all their facts by song, then added the images to match their information using the green screen app Do Ink.

 

Formative Assessing? Plickers Please!

Who says each student needs to have a laptop, iPad, or phone in front of them to conduct an online Formative Assessment?  In Mrs.Yerke's 7th Grade Reading class, all you need is a piece of paper, a teacher device, and Plickers Formative Assessment App.  Each student is assigned a number and a matching Plickers card.  Start asking questions and the student decides how to rotate their Plickers card to match the answer they selected.  A quick scan by Mrs.Yerke, and all of her class answers are quickly recorded and organized for her to review.  Fantastic!

 

Writing Letters gets you a Harley!!

6th Grade Language Arts Teacher Janelle Hurkett works with her students writing letters to companies, athletes, athletic teams, authors, celebrities, etc.  With each letter sent, the student eagerly awaits a response.  Sometimes they get a letter, better yet a letter and some Swag, but after Brody wrote his letter to Hawkeye Harley Davidson in Coralville, Iowa, Cord Slaymaker a Sales Associate came to Excelsior to surprise him and Mrs. Hurkett's 3rd Mod Class.  Mr. Slaymaker shared his experience at Hawkeye, some background about himself, and his love for Harley Davidson.  The class then went outside to check out the bikes and hear the power of Harley Davidson.  As a special surprise, Brody's parents were also here with a heritage Harley that was once his Grandfather's and will eventually be passed down to Brody.
What a great way to get a response from his letter!!!  Keep writing, who knows who or what will show up next?

 

Let's Review for a Test With Quizlet Live!!!

Next week is the test in Mr. Gasper's 7B Science Classes at Excelsior.  Today, Mr. Gasper reviewed with the students using Quizlet Live.  Students brought their own devices, used iPads, or computers in the classroom to play.  Mr. Gasper created questions on Quizlet which then were used for the review.  Once each student logged in using the game code, they went LIVE!  Quizlet made groupings for the students and once everyone was settled the game began.  Each student in the group had 4 possible answers to the questions being asked with each device having a different set.  Once the question appeared, the group of students had to work together to see which device had the correct answer.  Select the correct one and gain a point for your group, choose wrong and your group goes back to zero.  First group to answer all the questions correctly wins.  Tons of engagement, multiple rounds of Quizlet Live and a lot of collaboration.  Bring on the Test!!!

Using iCivics with Mrs. Bucklin's class!

From 3D to Barely Moving....A Lot Happening in Industrial Tech.

It is hard not to notice the 3 large machines in the back of Mr. Ortiz's and Mr. Stamp's rooms, but what are they?  Turns out, they are brand new 3D printers!  What was once a concept designed by 7th grade students, is now reality as they design and print their objects.  The 3D printers are allowing students to see how their design on the computer translates into real life application.

It is easy to get lost watching the printers create, but that isn't all that is happening.  Eighth Grade students are creating motorized vehicles to accomplish different challenges.  Fastest, Slowest, Best Climber, are just some of the obstacles that each build team will face.  Now with the 3D printers, you can add vehicle parts design to the other many things students are accomplishing in Industrial Tech.

Sphero

Students have loved coming to the library to play with robots.  This month, we checked one out from GWAEA and students have been able to try out some basic coding skills!

Easy there.........Mimio Bars NOT Just for Math!

Mimio Teach Interactive Whiteboards aren't just being used in Math classes at Excelsior.  Take a look at Mrs. Henricksen's 6th Grade Language Arts Class using the Mimio Bar to identify and correct address labels for the letters they are writing to companies.  What a great way to practice for everyone in the class.

Mimio Bars in Math!

6th Grade students from Excelsior and 8th Grade students from Oak Ridge are getting out of their seats and interacting with their newest tech tool, the Mimio Bar.  The mimio bar is an interactive tool which uses the already existing whiteboard and projector to create a new experience for the students and teachers.  Lessons and work can be saved and shared with students in other classes or sent home for those students that need some reminders or were absent.  We have only scratched the surface using the Mimio Bars, I cannot wait to see more!!

6th Grade Student at Excelsior

Dennis Koenen's 6th Grade

8th Grade Math at Oak Ridge